Road America: Flying Lizard Motorsports preview

Flying Lizard Heads to Road America for Seventh ALMS Race
August 11, 2006--Sonoma, California--Catching their breath after the
intense schedule from Le Mans in June through three tough races in July,
Flying Lizard heads to Wisconsin next week...

Flying Lizard Heads to Road America for Seventh ALMS Race

August 11, 2006--Sonoma, California--Catching their breath after the
intense schedule from Le Mans in June through three tough races in July,
Flying Lizard heads to Wisconsin next week for the Generac 500 at Road
America, the seventh race of the 10-race ALMS season. The Lizards are
leading in the ALMS GT2 team and driver's championship points with the
team's No. 45 driver Johannes van Overbeek first in points and teammate
Wolf Henzler second. The driver line up for Road America will be van
Overbeek and Henzler in the No. 45 Porsche and Lonnie Pechnik and Seth
Neiman in the No. 44 Porsche.

This is a pivotal time in the championship fight. Just past the season
mid-point, the mathematical possibilities for the winner in the
strikingly competitive GT2 field are wide open. For the first time in
ALMS history, multiple manufacturers are in serious contention for the
GT2 championship title, and the driver and team championships are still
up in the air. Every manufacturer has been on the podium at least once,
and the only team to manage more than one victory so far has been the
Risi Competizione Ferrari.

Though leading both team and driver standings at this point, the Lizards
are thoughtful about the next four outings. Neiman shared this
perspective, "The points standings are very close in every category. We
are leading due to our consistency, nearly mistake-free racing, and great
crew work. So far, our competitors have not demonstrated the same level
of consistency, but let's not fool ourselves: one mistake -- a bad
pitstop, a small off, or a mechanical problem -- and the lead will
evaporate. Remember that both Petit and Laguna Seca carry bonus points so
failing to finish either of those two would be disastrous. I am very
confident that our crew will continue to perform at the same level that
they've demonstrated so far this season -- now we just have to go out and
fight."

Chief Strategist Thomas Blam is focused on next weekend's race, "At Road
America (unlike Portland and even Utah), there's a combination of long
straights and heavy braking zones, which should suit the Porsches well.
But we'll again have two Ferraris to contend with, and we saw at Portland
with their impressive win that their pace is far ahead of the field and
that they are seriously contending for the title. I suspect the BMWs will
have a tough race here, as so far they have not shown the straight line
speed to do well with these long straights. However, their development
program is making progress every race, and they can't be counted out. And
the Panoz -- they've been quiet for the last few races, but the high
speeds at Road America are likely to be an advantage for them. I don't
know how it will all play out but I do know it will be an exciting race."

Tommy Sadler continued, "Don't forget the other Porsche teams. AJR and
Petersen/White Lightning both had difficulties in the first part of the
season, but their bad luck appears to have faded and they're going to be
tough every race. I do wish we had more pace to deal with the Ferraris. I
suspect the new 997 model due for 2007 will once again level the
manufacturers' field. Of course, Porsche GT2 teams will gain both the
advantages of a new model and the disadvantages of the unknown. I can't
predict the result, but I do know it will keep all of us on our toes."

From the Pits

The Generac 500 at Road America starts at 2 pm CST on Sunday, August 20.
The race will be broadcast live on SpeedTV beginning at 2 pm CST.